DRAFT PHASE IA ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY 5 ACRES, PARCEL N-1 REMAINDER ESTATE NAZARETH ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS Prepared for: Ms. Christy Sides Island Designs St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands Prepared by: CocoSol International Inc. 777 Brickell Avenue 500-97996 Miami, FL 33131 March 24, 2026 Draft Phase 1Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 i TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Proposed Project .......................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Regulatory Framework ................................................................................................................ 2 1.3 Environmental Setting .................................................................................................................. 2 1.4 Cultural History Background ....................................................................................................... 4 1.4.1 Precolonial Cultural Setting ................................................................................................ 4 1.4.2 Colonial Cultural Setting .................................................................................................... 5 2.0 SURVEY METHODS ........................................................................................................................ 6 2.1 Literature and Records Search .................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Field Survey .................................................................................................................................. 6 3.0 FINDINGS ........................................................................................................................................ 7 3.1 Literature and Records Search .................................................................................................... 7 3.1.1 Archaeological Surveys in the vicinity of the subject property ........................................... 7 3.1.2 Archaeological Sites of Record in the vicinity of the Subject Property .............................. 7 3.2 Field Reconnaissance ................................................................................................................... 9 4.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................. 11 4.1 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................ 11 4.2 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 11 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Google Earth image depicting the location of the subject property. ............................................ 1 Figure 2: Surveyor boundary map of the subject property. .......................................................................... 1 Figure 3: Google Earth image (2002) depicting the subject property polygon (outlined in blue) and the existing conditions of land surfaces. .............................................................................................................. 2 Figure 4: Google Earth image (2006) depicting the existing land conditions for the subject property and immediate environs. ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 5: Google Earth image (2009) depicting the survey area and existing land clearing/earth change conditions/activities. ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 6: Google Earth image depicting existing conditions at the subject property (outlined in blue) in 2023. .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Figure 7: Scan of 1814 -1816 Matrikel showing the fusion of the Nazareth- Nadir Plantation. Source: https://arkivalieronline.rigsarkivet.dk/da/billedviser?epid=17226867#206900,39290411 ......................... 8 Figure 8: Enlarged section of Matrikel showing that Estates Nazareth and Nadir were fused by 1814- 1816. https://arkivalieronline.rigsarkivet.dk/da/billedviser?epid=17226867#206900,39290411 ............... 8 Figure 9: Photograph depicting hardened surface, view to the west. ........................................................... 9 Figure 10: Photograph of plant detritus and derelict vehicles, view to the northwest. .............................. 10 Figure 11: Photograph of construction debris. Source: Island Design. ..................................................... 10 Draft Phase 1Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION CocoSol International Inc. was retained to perform a Phase I (A&B) Archaeological Survey (Survey) for approximately 5 acres of land located on Parcel N-1-Remainder in Estate Nazareth, Red Hook Quarter (Figures 1 and 2), St. Thomas, USVI by Islands Designs of St. Thomas USVI. The Phase 1A component of the Survey which included a literature and records search, and a site reconnaissance was completed and is the subject of this report. The Phase 1B part of the Survey could not be performed because of the inordinate amount of disturbance and the accumulation refuse that include construction debris, vehicles, spoil materials, and other, as will be described and illustrated in Section 3.0 of this report. Figure 1: Google Earth image depicting the location of the subject property. Figure 2: Surveyor boundary map of the subject property. Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 2 1.1 Proposed Project CocoSol understands that the project consists of the construction of a soccer field and related facilities and infrastructure. 1.2 Regulatory Framework Because of the earth change activities required to construct the soccer field, the project is required to comply with Title 29, Chapter 17, Section 959, of the Virgin Islands Code, also known as the Virgin Islands Antiquities and Cultural Properties Act. 1.3 Environmental Setting The topography of the survey area is nearly level and was found to be vegetated with a thick cover of pioneer species, predominantly acacia and tan-tan and cactus. The soil in and immediate surrounding area is assigned to the Solitude Soil Series as a gravelly sandy loam with 0 to 2 % slope gradient by United States Department of Agriculture – National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). The soils are reported to have formed in marine sediments at the mouth of guts. The A Soil Horizon is reported to extend between 2-18 inches below surface and are underlain by strata consisting of friable, gravely, sandy loam to depths ranging from approximately 6 to 61 inches below natural ground surfaces, (https://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx). The site was found to be largely hard surfaced with asphalt and gravel, and was found littered with abandoned/derelict vehicles, boats, construction debris, general household items, animal carcasses, and plant detritus piles. There are large piles of debris throughout the subject property. A review of Google Earth historical imagery indicates that the subject property and immediate environs have experienced repeated extensive clearing/grading and surfacing of the area to the and clearing and access road construction during the construction of the sport’s field for the High School and after. We note that the constructed features depicted in the images have been removed, we understand that they consisted of storage containers of various types and sizes. (Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6). Figure 3: Google Earth image (2002) depicting the subject property polygon (outlined in blue) and the existing conditions of land surfaces. Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 3 Figure 4: Google Earth image (2006) depicting the existing land conditions for the subject property and immediate environs. Figure 5: Google Earth image (2009) depicting the survey area and existing land clearing/earth change conditions/activities. Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 4 Figure 6: Google Earth image depicting existing conditions at the subject property (outlined in blue) in 2023. 1.4 Cultural History Background Brief summaries of the cultural history of the Virgin Islands and region are provided below 1.4.1 Precolonial Cultural Setting The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) contains a rich milieu of cultural resources that offer testimony to over three thousand years of human experience. These cultural resources range from habitation sites established during the Archaic Period at Krum Bay and the Magens Bay Arboretum Complex on St. Thomas approximately three thousand years ago, to the multiple village and farmstead sites on all the islands, to chiefly ceremonial centers such as the Salt River Site on St. Croix, which is the site of the first encounter between the Taino and Europeans. After the Archaic Period, the indigenous people of the Virgin Islands participated in a geographically vast network of social and economic relationships. Recent archaeological research indicates that the insular landscapes were dotted with small and large villages along the coastal section fringes of the islands as well as the uplands. Additionally, small settlements herein characterized as farmsteads are now being discovered in the uplands. These small upland farmsteads have mostly been unrecognized in the archaeological record; however, more recent archaeological surveys for large development projects have resulted in the identification of such sites. The indigenous people of the Virgin Islands participated within a larger social, religious, and economic network (s), as evidenced by shared stylistic attributes of ceramics from the Saladoid, Ostionan and Chican culture periods across a significant part of the Antilles. Shared cosmological ideas are also evidenced by the presence of cemis and other religious paraphernalia in the Virgin Islands and across large areas of the Caribbean Archipelago. Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 5 Long distance trade is evidenced by the presence of jadeite artifacts manufactured from raw lithic sources found in Central America and chert from Puerto Rico and down island. A whole host of cultigens with origins in the continent became part of the quotidian diet; more exotic items such as guinea pig, an Andean domesticate, have been found in Puerto Rico and are likely to be documented by future archaeological studies as also present in Virgin Island archaeological contexts. 1.4.2 Colonial Cultural Setting Following the brief European incursion on St. Croix in 1493, the islands were in the possession of several European nations including Spain, England, Malta, the Netherlands, and France. The colonies that these nations attempted to establish largely failed. Not until Denmark’s Danish West Indies Company settled in St. Thomas in 1672 and on St. John in 1694, did these colonies become viable enterprises. The Danes purchased St. Croix from the French in 1733 and the island, with its larger size, gentler topography, fertile soils, and surface streams, became a dynamic sugarcane-based enterprise that lasted for a century. The Danes divided the islands into estates that were mainly dedicated to agriculture. Although largely owned by Danes, British managers often administered the estates. The early plantations, particularly on St. Thomas and St. John were primarily dedicated to the production of cotton and indigo, but because of competition from the continent, particularly the southern United States, these two agricultural pursuits were largely abandoned in favor of sugar cane. The economies of St. Croix and St. John were primarily based on sugar cane agriculture and the production of muscovado sugar and rum. In contrast, the economy of St. Thomas was primarily based on trade, although agricultural pursuits also formed an integral part of its economy, particularly during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 6 2.0 SURVEY METHODS The survey methods employed included a literature search and a pedestrian reconnaissance of the subject property. 2.1 Literature and Records Search A search of the USVI archaeological site files and the VI Registry, the National Register of Histoic Places data base, was performed. Additionally, historic and modern cartography was reviewed to assess for the depictions of settlements or constructed features within the subject property. Our findings for this tasl are presented in the following section of this report. 2.2 Field Survey CocoSol originally proposed to systematically survey the subject property at 20 meter intervals to assess for the presence of potentially significant cultural resources. The subject property was found to be hard surfaced and to contain large debris deposits and abandoned vehicles, all of which precluded the ability to perform the systematic subsurface testing. Our field efforts were limited to a pedestrian reconnaissance of the subject property. Our findings and observations are provided in the following section of this report. Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 7 3.0 FINDINGS 3.1 Literature and Records Search The findings of the literature and records search is presented below. 3.1.1 Archaeological Surveys in the vicinity of the subject property Our review of the archaeological site files indicated that while several archaeological surveys have been performed for Estate Nazareth. No archaeological surveys or sites of record are listed for the subject property. Our review of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) data base indicated that no NRHP properties are known to be located within the subject property. The closest properties where archaeological surveys were performed in the vicinity of the subject property were for development of the Ritz Carlton (Dickinson and Wayne 2000) located approximately 1,500 meters to the southeast of the subject property. No potentially significant cultural resources were identified during this survey. Soltec International Inc. (Soltec) performed a Phase I Cultural Resources Survey on Cabrita Point in 2006 which is located approximately1,900 meters to the southeast of the subject property. No potentially significant cultural resources were identified during that survey. Another Soltec project above Nazareth Bay resulted in the identification of an 18th-century plantation settlement and the remains of the John C. Lilly Communications Laboratory. The ruins of the Communications Research Institute (the "Dolphin House, and Laboratory) are considered by the Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office (VISHPO) to have local and national historical significance. A Phase I Archaeological Survey performed by Soltec in 2011 located at the southern corner of the parking area at Eudora Kean High School in Red Hook for the site of a ViNGN Access Point was found to have been previously disturbed. The Access Point is located approximately 170 meters east of the southeast corner of the subject property. In 2015, the University of Alabama performed a Phase I Archaeological Survey for Parcel No. 5- Remainder, Estate Nazareth. No potentially significant cultural resources were identified by the University of Alabama during their survey. Our review of the readily available and reliable historic and modern cartography did not identify the presence of any colonial settlements or constructed features within the subject property, 3.1.2 Archaeological Sites of Record in the vicinity of the Subject Property The 18th-century site discovered during the Soltec survey for Dolphin Cove represents the remains of a relatively small plantation settlement thought to be the Thorsen Plantation that was occupied for a relatively brief span of time (ca. 1730s – 1750s). Two other plantations operated at generally the same time on the Nazareth Peninsula, two of these, the Nazareth and Herman Site, eventually fused into a single operation at the end of the 18th-Century and was called Nazareth-Nadir as shown in Figures 7 and 8 (Rigsarkivet: https://arkivalieronline.rigsarkivet.dk/da/billedviser?epid=17226867#206900,39290411 ). We suspect that the Thorsen Plantation succumbed, apparently because of economic reasons. The absence of a late 18th Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 8 Century ceramic assemblage at this site supports the independent historical data that this site is the short lived Thorsen Plantation. Figure 7: Scan of 1814 -1816 Matrikel showing the fusion of the Nazareth- Nadir Plantation. Source: https://arkivalieronline.rigsarkivet.dk/da/billedviser?epid=17226867#206900,39290411 Figure 8: Enlarged section of Matrikel showing that Estates Nazareth and Nadir were fused by 1814-1816. https://arkivalieronline.rigsarkivet.dk/da/billedviser?epid=17226867#206900,39290411 Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 9 Site 12Vam3-184, National Guard Site, is listed in the site files, however there is no report or description attached and the forms are blank, other than the name. Presumably, no artifacts or features were encountered or observed, and this may be that the ground was levelled already, prior to the investigation. We note that in the late 1980’s archaeologists (Charles W. Moorehead and the late Ernie Seckinger) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District informally informed Carlos Solís that they had performed a Phase I Archaeological Survey for the Virgin Islands National Guard lands on Estate Nazareth, and they mentioned that no archaeological sites were found. The National Guard lands are immediately to the west of the subject property. This survey is also listed in the Digital Archaeological Record as: Cultural Resources Assessment for Construction of a National Guard Armory, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. 1987 ( tDAR id: 171599) 12Vam3-039, Nazareth 1, which was a single fragment of a greenstone celt found in a house garden across Vessup Bay in 1976. The then-Office of Archaeological Services was notified, but further investigation could not locate any associated features or a site, per se. The house was demolished and rebuilt in 1981 and the conclusion was that the artifact was a singular anomaly, and any site, if it existed, was destroyed by subsequent construction. 3.2 Field Reconnaissance As previously mentioned, our originally intent was to perform shovel testing at 20-meter intervals, however upon arrival we noted that this would not be possible because of the large amounts of debris piles, carcasses of animals, derelict vehicles, asphalted and graveled surfaces throughout the property. Due to these restrictions, the archaeologists limited their work to a reconnaissance level pedestrian/visual survey. The current site conditions are documented in photographs taken and shown in Figures 9-11 below. Figure 9: Photograph depicting hardened surface, view to the west. Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 10 Figure 10: Photograph of plant detritus and derelict vehicles, view to the northwest. Figure 11: Photograph of construction debris. Source: Island Design. Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 11 4.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Our concluding remarks and recommendations are presented below. 4.1 Conclusions No potentially significant cultural resources were identified during the Phase I (A) Archaeological Survey performed for Parcel N1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, USVI. Our review of the readily available literature and records did not identify any cultural resources of record to be contained in the subject property or immediate surroundings. Based on the findings of past extensive disturbances evidenced in the aerial imagery provided in Section 3 of this report and our reconnaissance of the subject property, we estimate that if any sites existed, they were likely destroyed by repeated earth change activities. The subject property is on nearly level land and, as such, it would have been valuable agricultural land for cotton and sugar cane agriculture, as well as grazing fields for cattle in the 19th and 20the centuries. 4.2 Recommendations Based on the findings of this study CocoSol recommends that after the subject property is cleared of debris, vehicles, boats, etc., and prior to grubbing and construction that a backhoe be employed to test the subject property for the purposes of verifying its apparent disturbed conditions and assess for the presence of intrusive features and, possible buried archaeological contexts, noting that the soils on the subject property were formed at the mouth of guts, as the soils of the subject property are described to have been formed. Given the apparent extent of disturbances documented, we recommend that such testing be performed at 50-meter intervals. CocoSol recommends that the Virgin Islands State Historic Preservation Office issue a conditioned finding of no objection to the construction of the soccer field, related infrastructure, and amenities. The condition being that the subsurface testing be performed prior to any earth change activities. Draft Phase 1 Archaeological Survey, Parcel N-1 Remainder, Estate Nazareth, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands CocoSol Project 260109 March 24, 2026 12 REFERENCES Digital Archaeological Record Cultural Resources Assessment for Construction of a National Guard Armory, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. 1987 ( tDAR id: 171599) Dookhan, Isaac 1994 A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States. Canoe Press, Kingston. Florida Museum of Natural History 2004 Historical Archaeology Digital Type Collection. Electronic document, http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/histarch/gallery_types/.Accessed January 3, 2013. Hardy, Meredith 2008 Saladoid Economy and Complexity on the Arawakan Frontier. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, Florida State University, Tallahassee. 69 Hatt, Gudmund 1924 Archaeology of the Virgin Islands. In Proceedings of the 21st International Congress of Americanists (Part 1), 29-42. The Hague. Lundberg, Emily 1985 Interpreting the Cultural Associations of Aceramic Deposits in the Virgin Islands. Journal of Field Archaeology 12:201-212. Righter, Elizabeth 2002 The Tutu Archaeological Village Site: A multidisciplinary case study in human adaptation, edited by Elizabeth Righter. Routledge, New York. Rigsarkivet 2026: https://arkivalieronline.rigsarkivet.dk/da/billedviser?epid=17226867#206900,39290411 Rouse, Irving B. 1992 The Tainos: Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbus. Yale University Press, New Haven. United States Department of Agriculture 2026: https://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/WebSoilSurvey.aspx